My Fundraising Page

11 years later for the anniversary of her death, I signed up to run my first marathon with Team in Training.

I spent months training with my team and on my own. Grueling high mileage days. Hurdling over what sometimes seemed like insurmountable obstacles. Since losing my stomach, my body does not take kindly to the abuse that hours of high impact activity inflicts upon my digestive system. It's exhausting and it's painful.

From February through September, I ran hundreds of miles. Bled a lot. Cried a lot. Lost a few toenails. Took a lot of pain medication. And nausea medication.

Yet it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I have a new sense of pride and humility. I realized that despite the pain, not everyone gets to raise thousands of dollars for cancer research. Not everyone gets to run a marathon. Not everyone is afforded the luxury of having a family willing to sacrifice their weekends for the better part of a year. But I do. I get to.

Today is November 18. It would be my sister's 33rd birthday if she were still here. I'm missing her a ton. I'm home with my 3yo daughter who will never know my sister, a 3yo who wants to run marathons for charity, who will never know the person who inspired me to run marathons for charity. And my heart is broken.

But as broken as it is, it reminds me that I am doing something that she would be proud of me doing and I’m doing it for her. In 166 days, I will be running the BMO Vancouver Marathon with Team in Training. I can’t have my sister back, but by running, I can help other people’s sisters stay around a little bit longer.

I love you, Colleen. I wish you could know the ways you’ve inspired me to make the world a better place.

I have a mission-to help find cures and more effective treatments for blood cancers. To accomplish that mission, I’m participating in a sports endurance event as a member of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Team In Training. Like the other members of TNT, I will be raising funds to help find cures and better treatments for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma. I’m improving the quality of my life by participating and with your support, I can help improve the quality of life for patients and their families as well.

Please make a donation in support of my efforts with Team In Training and help advance the research for cures.

" Unfortunately, it's difficult to punch cancer right in the face. Fortunately, we're beginning to even the odds. We are even ganging up on it by way of medical science. I'm not normally a man of faith, but I somehow know in that part of my mind I call my heart, that these diseases can and will become things of the past. In fact, they must. No living thing should have to fight it's own body, and nobody should have to watch those they love do the same."

Elliott Taylor

Thu Jun 13 05:37:49 EDT 2013

"Happy birthday, Elyse! Thank you very much for doing this. You rock! "

Deanna Joy Lyons

Sat Jun 15 07:56:33 EDT 2013

"GO MOFO!"

Skepchick

Sat Jun 15 10:21:00 EDT 2013

"You rock: kick the shit out of cancer, please."

Anonymous

Sat Jun 15 01:25:36 EDT 2013

"You are fanfreakingtastic and I love you! Go girl!"

AB Kovacs

Sat Jun 15 09:26:53 EDT 2013

"Please feature said balls on MAL, please!"

Beth Voigt

Thu Jun 20 07:23:57 EDT 2013

"Much Love! XXOO"

Joe Anderson

Wed Jun 26 10:59:54 EDT 2013

"Keep rocking it, Elyse. You are awesome! "

Courtney Caldwell

Sun Jul 28 04:40:13 EDT 2013

"Good luck in fundraising! And have an awesome run! A co-workers mom just passed away this past Sunday from lymphoma - so I donated for her and for you today!!"

Kate Grimm

Tue Jul 30 08:20:27 EDT 2013

"I like your style!! I see the sense of humor runs in the family (Mary Wu is my friend). Go get those 26.2 miles - I am utterly amazed!"

Paula Overstreet

Wed Jul 31 11:06:52 EDT 2013

"First 25 wasn't enough. Here's another."

Bruce McLeod ...again

Tue Aug 06 03:40:48 EDT 2013

"Go El MoFo"

Anonymous

Sat Aug 10 10:21:01 EDT 2013

"Best of Luck!!"

Mary Kompare

Thu Aug 22 04:27:48 EDT 2013

My Fundraising Total

Raised: $1,967.00 | Goal: $2,500.00

79
%

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